Inmate Terry Young says that his life is in danger after he wrote a letter exposing corruption within the prison system.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
North Chicago pays $40,000 over police dog attack
Officer is fired
Retired administrator says she warned that excessive force could get 'out of control'
July 29, 2012 | By Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune reporter
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-29/news/ct-met-north-chicago-police-update-20120729_1_walter-wrather-police-dog-darrin-hanna
North Chicago has fired a police officer and paid $40,000 to settle a complaint that he allowed a police dog to bite a fleeing suspect repeatedly and break his leg.
The beleaguered department has also been sued over an incident caught on video in which an officer appears to punch a docile suspect in a police lockup.
Those are among the latest developments since the death of Darrin Hanna in November unleashed a spate of police brutality accusations, protests and investigations in North Chicago.
Hanna died a week after he was arrested by officers responding to a call that he had battered his pregnant girlfriend. The Lake County coroner attributed Hanna's death in part to being beaten and shocked with a Taser by officers, but also to the 45-year-old's health problems and drug abuse.
The arrest that led to the latest firing occurred in April 2011, when Walter Wrather, then 23, was allegedly driving without a license and Officer William Bogdala tried to stop him. Wrather fled at high speeds but eventually abandoned his car and ran into a warehouse district, where Bogdala commanded his police dog to chase and bite Wrather, city attorney Chuck Smith said.
Wrather contends Bogdala let the dog hold on for some time and bite him repeatedly, fracturing a bone in Wrather's calf. Police photos of the bites show several deep puncture wounds.
Wrather's attorney, Muriel Collison, said witnesses reported that Bogdala posted a picture of the wound on his Facebook account, with a message warning against running from police. Bogdala denied doing that, records show, but city officials concluded that he had violated the city's social media policy.
Bogdala was the subject of other complaints of excessive force, including one from a woman who said he broke her eye socket, and one from a man who said he also required medical intervention after an encounter with the officer, Smith said. Also, Bogdala pulled a gun on another motorist in an off-duty altercation in Gurnee in 2010, Smith said.
The attorney said that in 2008, Bogdala had signed a "last chance" agreement with the city, putting him on probation and warning that another incident would result in his dismissal.
Smith called the $40,000 payment to Wrather "fair" given the trauma he suffered. Wrather was convicted and served jail time for the incident.
Collison said Bogdala, who was dismissed on June 29, was given too many chances. "This should never have happened," she said of his run-in with Wrather.
Reached Friday, Bogdala said he would "love to" comment but deferred to his Fraternal Order of Police attorney, who did not return phone calls.
Last week, Collison filed a new suit against the city on behalf of Paul Smith, a Waukegan man who, according to video taken inside the local police lockup in 2010, was punched in the back of the head, choked and slammed against a wall by an officer, despite no obvious signs of resistance. The officer, Emir King, was suspended without pay after the video became public earlier this year.
Collison also released a sworn statement by a former high-ranking officer, provided as part of the litigation against the city, that Collison said helps substantiate what she claims is a pattern of police brutality in North Chicago.
Crystal Phillips, the former No. 2 in command at the department as operations commander, retired last July.
In the statement, Phillips said the department typically got three to four complaints a week about alleged excessive force and verbal abuse by police.
She identified several officers who she said were the subject of a lot of complaints. She also said she warned the department not to let Bogdala become a canine officer.
She said she raised concerns with Chief Michael Newsome, but he never took action. Newsome resigned in February.
"Couple of times I told him that he needed to start doing some discipline because if he didn't, it was going to get out of control," she said. "They were going to get to the point where they were going to get too aggressive with the citizens to the point where something serious was going to happen."
Phillips could not be reached for additional comment.
Attorney Laura Scarry, who represents the seven officers who have been sued in connection with the Hanna case, questioned Phillips' credibility, noting that much of what she said was based on hearsay from other officers and that Phillips was not cross-examined.
"She was giving opinions on issues that she has no personal knowledge of," Scarry said.
After Hanna's death, the city hired Robert Johnson, a former Illinois State Police regional commander, to investigate. The inquiry found that excessive force was used against Hanna, leading to the firing of Officer Brandon Yost and the 30-day suspension of Officer Arthur Strong.
Smith, the city attorney, said Johnson has finished his investigation of several other brutality allegations, but the city has not released the results.
Smith said Yost and Bogdala are both challenging their firings through the Fraternal Order of Police union.
Mayor Leon Rockingham could not be reached for comment. Some city officials, along with theRev. Jesse Jackson, have asked theU.S. Department of Justiceto investigate the allegations against police.
rmccoppin@tribune.com
Inmate Attacks Judge In Courtroom Later Dies
A man who died in the custody of Clayton Sheriff's deputies had attacked a judge in court before he was injured, a video leaked.
The video footage shows Kevin Guerrier run from the defendant's table and toward the bench of Clayton County Magistrate Court Judge Richard on April 6. Guerrier later succumbed to an injury that was believed to have left him comatose and eventually to have killed him.
Two deputies are on administrative leave while the GBI and the sheriff's office investigate Guerrier's death. The man's family, through their attorneys, are demanding answers.
"Clearly, the conduct in the courtroom was inappropriate," attorney Robert Bozeman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But it was not cause for the death penalty."
Following the courthouse incident, the 25-year-old Guerrier began having seizures and was taken to Southern Regional Hospital in Riverdale. There, hospital staff later told Sheriff Kem Kimbrough that Guerrier was "brain dead." Guerrier died on April 16.
Guerrier was before Judge Brown on April 6 for failing to pay $750 in child support, according to court officials. While in court that day, he was issued a temporary protective order, forbidding him from contacting the child's mother in any way.
The video footage shows him running from the defendant's table and toward the judge's bench, where he was intercepted by a pair of deputies who tackled him to the ground. The deputies then handcuffed Guerrier and carried the still-struggling man into an adjacent holding room.
As one deputy emerged back to the courtroom, the door to the holding room flew open, and the deputy ran back into the holding room. Later, the deputy re-emerged, and nothing unusual happened from that point until the end of the video.
Family wants probe into prisoner's death
A man died in police custody after being Tasered over the weekend. Now, the victim’'s family is looking for answers. At this point police can't say what caused the 29-year-old father of two to die late Saturday.
Teen Arrested For Trying To Grab Officer's Gun But Cell Phone Footages Shows Somebody's Lying
Teen Arrested For Trying To Grab Officer's Gun But Cell Phone Footages Shows Somebody's Lying
Teen claims video proves false arrest by NYPD
The family of a beaten mentally ill inmate speaks out
Wall and Huntington join the family of a beaten, mentally impaired and mentally ill man, in demanding change in the way the mentally ill are treated while in custody.
SWAT used poor black neighborhood for training because it's 'realistic'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4iVUJm4yzY
Albany police- SWAT used poor black neighborhood for training because it's 'realistic'
The real (BLACK ON BLACK CRIME) Police Brutality
Last Nov. I was standing on the bus stop on the 7700 block of South shore Drive on the south eastside of Chicago, with my younger brother when an unmarked police suv pulled up while my back was turned hopped out an pushed me to a gate to search me and my brother. When they found out we didnt have anything i asked why was i being frisked and handled very violently he replied "Because you are a NIGGA with DREADS". He then kept me and my brother detained to further harrass me and called me names until he was satisfied or so i thought... As i was walking away after he made me find another bus stop to wait on cause i told him i was aware of my rights and he was violating them, he then chased me down grabbed me by my neck threw my head into a black metal bar gate picked me up and started puching me in my face then put the hand cuffs on me and began punching me agin until he threw me in the car. While on the way to the station he began taunting me calling me a smart NIGGA.. "Who are u Malcolm X u going stand up for your rights"? My charge was resisting arrest now almost a year later the same officer, officer ALDO BROWN from the 5th District is at it again but this time its my lilttle brother who was at work when this happened u be the judge dose this look like resisting arrest to u???? I NEED EVERY BLACK MALE AND FEMALE TO STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS POLICE BRUTALITY IS WRONG!!!!!!!!
Darrin Hanna Death At The Hands Of North Chicago Police Officer Reclassified As A Homicide
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http://newssun.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/11717285-417/hanna-lawyers-question-reports-reasonable-force-finding.html
NORTH CHICAGO — New photos of the bloodied, bloated and deformed face of Darrin “Dagwood” Hanna, shown during this week’s meeting of the North Chicago City Council, caused some in attendance to yell “murder” and jeer official findings that police used reasonable force in Hanna’s Nov. 6 arrest.
The photos, obtained by Hanna family attorneys under a Freedom of Information Act request, were taken by arresting North Chicago police officers inside Hanna’s apartment shortly before he was carried to an ambulance.
They show severe wounds to Hanna’s head and numerous marks, likely inflicted by a Taser, to his back. Hanna died at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan a week after his arrest for the alleged battery of his pregnant girlfriend.
Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Waller, in a review of findings in a four-month long investigation into the incident by the Illinois State Police Integrity Unit, as well as an autopsy and pathology reports undertaken by the Lake County Coroner’s office, declared March 20 that “police utilized reasonable force” in subduing and arresting Hanna, 45.
But attorneys for the Hanna family, who filed a federal wrongful death suit in December, point to discrepancies in police statements and question other aspects of the 300-plus page ISP investigative report, obtained by the Lake County News-Sun through a FOIA request.
Police narratives in the report assert that injuries to Hanna’s face are the result of two “quick, closed-fist strikes” by Officer Brandon Yost and, perhaps, from hitting a wood floor after a tackle by Officer Tristin Borzick.
“What these photos show doesn’t happen from two punches or a face hitting the ground,” said Attorney Kevin O’Connor, who hopes to prove that police beat Hanna after he was handcuffed.
“There is no way two hits could swell both eyes, bust a forehead, a nose and tear into a mouth,” O’Connor said. “Nobody reports striking him in the back. But we counted at least 15 marks on him. An officer beat him with a baton to the legs, in addition to him being Tasered.”
The ISP report also fails to accurately detail, O’Connor said, the extensive dry Tasering done to Hanna. In a dry Taser, the implement is held directly against the skin. Officer Gary Grayer admits to applying the Taser only twice, apparently because he didn’t believe it was working properly.
The Taser might have provided video evidence of its use, had its battery not been removed. According to the ISP report, no one at the NCPD knew how to retrieve the video from the Taser, so a representative from the company was summoned. The expert told investigators that “the battery had been removed from the Taser for a period of time” causing a “corruption” of data including dates, times and discharge statistics for accompanying videos.
O’Connor said the Taser taken into evidence contained 360 videos, none of them of the Hanna arrest.
According to the ISP report, Hanna lunged at Borzick after he was confronted by arresting officers inside his dark apartment. Officers report that Hanna, his fists clenched, yelling “Shoot me, shoot me,” appeared on the heels of his girlfriend, Dionne Wilcox, who ran screaming and naked from the couple’s bedroom. Immediately tackled by Borzick, according to arresting officers, Hanna resisted handcuffing.
An official autopsy found Hanna died from a combination of sickle cell crisis, kidney problems, uncontrolled high blood pressure, cocaine abuse, and physical and Taser restraint.
The city of North Chicago is conducting its own internal investigation of Hanna’s arrest. Both Interim Police Chief James Jackson and special investigator Robert Johnson, a retired State Police lieutenant colonel, will decide if the seven officers involved in the incident complied with department policy and procedure.
This photo of Darrin Hanna was taken after North Chicago police used a stun gun on him during a struggle on Nov. 6, 2011. Hanna died about a week later.
'Put me down, please, I was down,' suspect is heard yelling on tape
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/darrin-hanna-death-at-the_n_2534963.html
The 2011 beating death of a 45-year-old man in North Chicago, Ill. was reclassified as a homicide Tuesday, the latest development in an emotional case that has drawn the ire of community members who say they are still waiting for justice to prevail amid allegations of police brutality.
The reclassification in the case of Darrin Hanna's death by Dr. Thomas Rudd, the new Lake County Coroner, differs from last year's ruling of Artis Yancey, the county's previous coroner, that the cause of Hanna's death was "undetermined," NBC Chicago reports.
Still, Rudd has been careful to note that his ruling in Hanna's death does not imply criminal intent on the part of the police officers who, on Nov. 6, 2011, responded to a report of domestic battery and, after a struggle that included multiple discharges of a stun gun and left the 45-year-old with injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, detained Hanna.
Hanna, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, had been accused of striking his pregnant girlfriend and attempting to drown her in a bathtub. He died several days after his arrest.
"Homicide occurs when a person’s death results from a volitional act committed by another person to cause fear, harm, or death," Rudd told CBS Chicago, clarifying his assessment. "Intent to cause death is a common element, but is not required for classification as a homicide."
Two of the seven North Chicago officers suspected of being involved in Hanna's beating death previously faced disciplinary action, one of them -- Brandon Yost -- was immediately discharged from his post in April, while the other -- Arthur Strong -- was suspended for 30 days without pay. Police Chief Michael Newsome was also suspended and then resigned following the brutality scandal.
No criminal charges have been filed against any officers involved in the incident -- and that is not expected to change following Tuesday's homicide reclassification.
Nevertheless, the Tuesday development has reignited the hopes of family and supporters of Hanna in a pending civil rights lawsuit filed by Hanna's family against the city. Hanna's family engaged in a heated exchange with the attorney representing the seven officers named in the lawsuit outside the North Chicago City Council chambers Tuesday (watch the exchange embedded above).
"We've been saying it was homicide since 2011. Here it is 2013 and they're just now realizing it," Hanna's cousin Ralph Peterson told the Tribune.
In a Tuesday statement, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. noted that he respectfully disagreed with Rudd's findings and reiterated that the city will not be changing its position on the case, ABC Chicago reports.
Last spring, audio recordings, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, went public that showed Hanna begging for his life and shouting "They're killing me" during the struggle with police. The tape was not included in original police reports on the incident.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-10/news/ct-met-darrin-hanna-tapes-0410-20120410_1_city-council-meeting-state-police-officers
April 10, 2012 | By Robert McCoppin and Susan Berger, Chicago Tribune
An audio recording, apparently captured during a violent encounter between North Chicago police and a man who later died, renewed controversy over the case Monday when the tape was played during a City Council meeting.
The quality of the tape is poor but the subject of the arrest, Darrin Hanna, is seemingly heard yelling, "Put me down, please, I was down," after an officer is heard telling him in a calm, even voice: "You are OK. You're safe. Relax. Calm down."
Hanna, 45, died a week after the early November encounter, in which officers tackled, punched and Tasered Hanna while trying to subdue him after reports that he was beating a pregnant woman, according to a state police inquiry. His death prompted a spate of other brutality claims against the city, a lawsuit by Hanna's family and the departure of the police chief, though county authorities determined there were no grounds to press criminal charges against the six officers involved.
As they have since his death, though, relatives of Hanna and other critics of the Police Department crowded into the council chambers Monday night and continued their call for disciplinary action against the involved officers, who have been on desk duty since the incident. Just before the meeting Monday, Hanna's mother, Gloria Carr, began wailing and crumpled to the floor, where she was assisted by paramedics. She complained that she had been harassed and that her home was egged, and Mayor Leon Rockingham said he would increase patrols around her home.
The audio recording was not released along with the state police report, but Muriel Collison, an attorney for Hanna's relatives, said it was released to them through a Freedom of Information request. Rockingham confirmed the tape's authenticity, though it's unclear whether it was edited or exactly when during the arrest it was recorded, apparently by an officer's radio. It was played at the City Council meeting by a cousin of Hanna, Ralph Peterson, who asserted the city had tried to cover up the contents of the tape.
City officials did not address the content of the tape Monday evening. But Rockingham pleaded for patience, saying the city needs more time to complete its internal investigation. And he said the city has not ruled out dismissal as a possible consequence.
"I told you I would do everything and review every policy," the mayor said. "It comes from our chief regarding discipline or dismissal, and we are in the process of completing our investigation."
Carr, Hanna's mother, was apparently overcome after seeing newly revealed photos, apparently taken of an unconscious Hanna before he was taken to the hospital following the encounter with police. They show him on the ground, his head bleeding, bruised and swollen. The photographs were shown at an earlier City Council meeting and passed around again Monday by Peterson, who asserted they cast doubt over authority's determination of what happened to Hanna.
According to the state police, the North Chicago officers said Hanna charged them with fists clenched yelling, "Shoot me!" They said one officer tackled him head-first to the wooden floor, and when he continued to resist, one officer punched him twice in the face, and other officers hit him repeatedly with batons on the back of his legs and tried to shock him twice with a Taser, before subduing and handcuffing him.
Hanna died from multiple causes, according to the Lake County coroner's autopsy, which blamed chronic cocaine use and sickle cell disease along with police restraint and trauma.
Kevin O'Connor, another attorney for the Hanna family, argued that the tapes show police had subdued Hanna within 12 seconds, that he was compliant, not combative, and coherent but terrified. Yet by the time an ambulance took him away, he was beaten almost unconscious, and was mumbling incoherently, according to the state report.
In contrast to officers' description of Hanna as an out-of-control aggressor, O'Connor said, the tape suggests the officers were in control while Hanna was begging for his life.
"This is the smoking gun that was never talked about by the state's attorney or state police," O'Connor said. "It's the complete opposite of what they reported. And nobody analyzed it because nobody wanted to analyze it."
The autopsy describes six wounds on his face, yet police describe only the fall to the floor and two punches.
The autopsy also describes 11 Taser marks on Hanna's back, yet the officers mention only two or three attempts to Taser him without apparent effect.
Peterson also and announced plans for a protest march to the North Chicago Police Station and City Hall on April 21.
Susan Berger is a freelance reporter.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/darrin-hanna-recordings-n_n_1414626.html
Newly-uncovered audio recordings show that a suburban Chicago man who died after a physical altercation with police was begging for his life during the struggle.
A group of North Chicago, Ill. residents have been clashing with local police over the death of Darrin Hanna, 35, whose case community members say represents the most severe in a long series of excessive police force in their area.
Hanna's relatives played police-recorded audio they obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request for city council members Monday, CBS Chicago reports. In the recording, Hanna can be heard pleading for his life. "They're killing me," Hanna can be heard shouting in the tape, which was not included in original police reports on the incident.
Police officers were responding to a report of domestic battery last November and detained Hanna, who had been accused of striking his pregnant girlfriend, according to ABC. Hanna struggled with police, sustaining injuries consistent with blunt force trauma and multiple discharges of a stun gun, and died several days later.
Hanna's death was officially attributed to several factors, including physical trauma and restraint and cocaine use that exacerbated his existing sickle cell anemia, according to the Chicago Tribune. But Carr's family says police officers involved should be held responsible.
Hanna's mother, Gloria Carr, became hysterical when new photos of Hanna's face shortly before his death were displayed at Monday's meeting.
(See footage from the meeting above.)
Council members did not formally respond to the new evidence Monday, and an internal investigation into the alleged police brutality is ongoing.
North Chicago community members campaigning for more accountability in the Hanna case are planning a protest at the North Chicago Police Station April 21.
BLUE ON BLACK CRIME - Police Brutality/Total Incompetence in the East Village
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSti21zVIvE
Before you watch these videos you need to know what went down before the camera rolled: This teenage girl was unruly, loud, and having words with a woman and being disruptive on 11th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. When the police arrived she ran and got one block away with two officers in pursuit. They caught up to her and dropped her on the sidewalk. The two officers jumped on her, kicked her, cuffed her, smashed her face into the sidewalk, dragged her up and lifted the cuffs behind her back as to put pressure on her shoulders, her pants were falling down and they raced her back to the police car. She was crying and screaming the whole time. When back at the police car the two officers put her in the car and then pulled her out- this is when we began filming. As you watch note how many police officers, cars arrive. Note the tone of the officers as they speak to the young girls who arrive on the scene, note the panicky energy as they tell us to move back (they have a teenage girl cuffed on the ground, not a hulking brute) and you can see the non-"courtesy professionalism and respect", note the woman with a little dog in her hand instigating the young girls who are upset at seeing a peer in pain, this woman who is doing nothing but trying to rile up the crowd... A few others showed up with cameras and that made the police very aware and agitated. WHY WHEN SHE WAS IN THE CAR DID THEY NOT DRIVE HER TO THE PRECINCT TO DIFFUSE THE SITUATION OR EVEN AROUND THE CORNER? WHY DID 20PLUS OFFICERS SHOW UP FOR A TEENAGE UNRULY GIRL? WHY DID THEY KICK HER AND TREAT HER LIKE AN ANIMAL?
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Police Brutality Anaheim PD Kills A Man With Hands Still Behind His Back
Manuel Diaz was shot and killed by Anaheim PD July 22 2012. As you can see from the footage he died with his hands still behind his back... The Anaheiem PD later tried to buy the footage you are now looking at http://rt.com/usa/news/anaheim-police... This is a Mirror of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIwjU... by AnaheimWatch.
Omaha Police Brutality Videos Exposed 2013
Omaha police officer punching a restrained man has led to an internal police investigation, Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Saturday.
"I will get to the bottom of this," Schmaderer said at a news conference. "There is an internal investigation in full swing and the investigation will be conducted thoroughly, fairly, and as swiftly as possible, because the citizens of Omaha and the men and women of the Omaha Police Department deserve a fair resolution."
The incident began Thursday, when officers responded to a parking complaint in a north Omaha neighborhood, police spokeswoman Lt. Darci Tierney said. Officers were preparing to have some vehicles towed for expired tags when they say 28-year-old Octavius Johnson pulled up and approached officers in an aggressive manner.
But video secretly taken by a neighbor shows an officer grabbing Johnson, who did not appear combative, from behind and throwing him to the ground. Later, the officer is seen punching Johnson in the face several times while Johnson is prone on the ground.
Schmaderer did not take questions following his remarks Saturday, saying he's barred by the police union contract from discussing specifics of personnel investigations.
The punches occurred after other officers left the scene to chase Johnson's younger brother, Juaquez Johnson, into his mother's house. The younger Johnson had been recording his brother's arrest on his cellphone. He and his family say police chased him because he refused police orders to stop recording. The family says police arrested Juaquez Johnson and confiscated his cellphone.
A neighbor posted a recording of the incident online.
Another brother, Demetrius Johnson, was also arrested on an outstanding warrant, The Omaha World-Herald reported.
The men's aunt, Sharon Johnson, said an officer chasing Juaquez Johnson ran into her, knocking her out of her wheelchair.
"We deserve an explanation of why we were treated this way."
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Rita King: Cop Fractures Woman’s Face, Says "I'm Going to Push Your Nose Through Your Brain"
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/cop-fractures-womans-face-says-im-going-push-your-nose-through-your-brain
March 18, 2013 |
On Wednesday, a victim of police brutality filed a lawsuit against a Chicago police officer as well as the city of Chicago. According to Courthouse News Service, in Apr. 2011, Chicago police appeared at Rita King’s door after a domestic disturbance complaint. King was approached by a police officer with a taser, arrested and then taken to the police station. She remained handcuffed to a table while she was questioned. Then, allegedly, she refused to be fingerprinted until someone explained why she was under arrest. A police officer responded: “We know somebody who can get your fingerprints.”
In entered police commander Glenn Evans who pressed his fist into King’s nose for three to five minutes, repeatedly saying, “I’m going to push your nose through your brain.” King bled profusely, was fingerprinted and was finally released from the station. She attempted to walk home, but lost consciousness after one block. When she woke up 30 minutes later, she managed to call a friend who brought her to the hospital where it was determined she suffered a facial fracture.
Evans has faced at least five other lawsuits as a Chicago police officer in the past. According to SJ&A attorneys, in 2006, an employee of Chicago’s Water Department named Rennie Simmons knocked on Evans door to deliver a notice for an overdue bill. Evans beat up Simmons, and preceded to choke him. Evans relented only after Simmons screamed that he was a stroke patient. Simmons went back to his car, called 911 and was shocked when he was arrested, not Evans.
In 2008, a college student named Cordell Simmons was brought into the station for a drug-related arrest. When Evans felt he wasn’t cooperating with police, he had Cordell stripped and held down while he tasered his groin.
Both of these lawsuits settled before reaching trial.
Despite all this, Evans was promoted to from lieutenant to commander in August 2012.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, King states in the lawsuit that the Chicago police carry on a “code of silence” in which the officers’ loyalty to each other hinders them from revealing misconduct.
In the suit King states, “This de facto policy encourages Chicago Police officers to engage in misconduct with impunity and without fear of official consequences.”
Friday, March 22, 2013
Racial Profiling: NYPD Cop Admits Stop-And-Frisk Policy Is Based On Race “Black Males Ages 14-21 Are The Problem”
http://bossip.com/746985/racial-profiling-nypd-cop-admits-stop-and-frisk-policy-is-based-on-race-black-males-14-21-are-the-problem/
For years, the debate over the New York Police Department’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics has centered on whether officers engage in racial profiling.
Now, a recording suggests that, in at least one precinct, a person’s skin color can be a deciding factor in who is stopped.
Via New York Times:
The commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Christopher McCormack, urged the officer to be more active, emphasizing the need to conduct more street stops. “We go out there and we summons people,” Inspector McCormack said. The way to suppress violent crime, he said, was for officers to stop, question and, if necessary, frisk “the right people at the right time, the right location.”
The officer who surreptitiously recorded the conversation last month, Pedro Serrano, began pressing Inspector McCormack about who he meant by the “right people.” The conversation grew heated.
After an exchange about Mott Haven, a particularly crime-prone neighborhood, the inspector suggested that the police needed to conduct street stops of the people creating “the most problems” there.
“The problem was, what, male blacks,” Inspector McCormack said. “And I told you at roll call, and I have no problem telling you this, male blacks 14 to 20, 21.”
The question of what commanders mean by “the right people” is central to the trial.
Civil rights lawyers have long maintained that the term “right people” is police code for young black and Hispanic men, who make up an overwhelming share of those stopped. But the police, on the other hand, say that they use this phrase to describe habitual lawbreakers, and that by focusing on the “right people,” they are trying to avoid giving tickets to the construction worker drinking a beer on his way home or the couple strolling through a park that is closed for the night.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Federal Prison Gaurds Indicted for Abusing Prisoners
Staff Attorney Rachel Meeropol discusses the indictments and the impact it has on her ongoing case against some of those same guards.
Guards beat down handcuffed inmate & try to cover it up
Two federal jail guards were convicted Thursday (January 24th, 2008) in the videotaped beatdown of a handcuffed inmate and then trying to cover up the attack.
The Metropolitan Detention Center guards, Jamie Toro and Glen Cummings, face up to 20 years in prison.
Two other guards, Angel Perez and Elizabeth Torres, were found guilty of covering up the beating. The jury acquitted guard Frank Maldonado of involvement in the April 2006 attack.
Prosecutors said the inmate was beaten and stomped in a prison elevator after he assaulted a guard in the cellblock.
"It was a blatant use of excessive force for no other reason than to extract revenge," Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Radick said in his closing statement.
The inmate was being escorted from the cellblock when Toro threw him to the floor without provocation. Cummings, who claimed the prisoner was resisting, ran onto the elevator and repeatedly kicked and stomped him.
"This was a tragedy," said Cummings' lawyer, William Keahon. "These 10 seconds of his actions, which he thought were necessary, resulted in his conviction."
After the verdict, Maldonado wept uncontrollably, hugged defense lawyer Nicholas Kaiser, then slammed the courtroom door.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Officer Burge: The Chicago Police Torture More than 100 African American Men
http://humanrights.uchicago.edu/chicagotorture/victims.shtml
List of Victims
The following chart documents the 101 known and documented torture victims of Burge and his detectives from 1972- 1991. It was compiled in March of 2005 by the People’s Law Office. Since this time, more than 30 other victims have come forward with their stories.
* Took Fifth Amendment when asked about this torture.
** Torture and abuse occurred during interrogation.
***All cases from 8/5/72 through 11/6/87 are Area 2 cases.
Date Victim(s) Torture Methods Officers Documentation
8/5/72
Rodney Mastin
Lindsey Smith
Clarence Hill
vicious beatings, beating with ashtray, kicked in groin**
Burge,* Listkowski, Houtsma (Area 2)***7/24/04 Sworn Statement of Rodney Mastin
9/72
Unknown victim
screaming, pants down, hiding implements, handcuffed to hot radiator**
Burge* and two unidentified dets. 10/4/04 Sworn statement of Detective Bill Parker
5/30/73
Anthony Holmes
repeatedly bagged, beaten, electric shocked with black box, called “nigger”**
Burge,* Pienta* Yucaitis, Wagner* Hoke* Listkowski Gaffney
4/19/04 Court Reported statement of Anthony Holmes; Judicial Admissions by City in Memo filed 1/22/92
1973
Lawrence Poree
shown black shock box, “this is what we got for niggers like you”**
Burge,* Hoke,* Wagner* Corless
4/19/04 Court reported statement of Lawrence Poree
1973
Lawrence Poree
electric shock to testicles, armpits, arm, beaten**
Burge,* Hoke*
4/19/04 Statement of Lawrence Poree
12/73
Howard Collins
beaten, Russian Roulette, noose around neck **
Burge,* Hoke*
4/89 Attorney Interview
9/25/77
Virgil Robinson
beaten with flashlight and police helmet, gun in mouth at railroad tracks**
Dignan,* McGuire* Yucaitis
Testimony in People v. Robinson
8/7/79
Lawrence Poree,
Leroy Sanford
electricshocked, beaten, hit with gun**
beaten**
Burge* Wagner* Corless Basile* Gallagher
3/10/80 Testimony in People v. Sanfordet.al; 4/19/04 Poree Statement
11/13/79
James Lewis
Edward James
kidnapped from Memphis,
beaten, threatened with horror chamber and Fred Hampton Black Panther murder, ear cupped, “nuts” threatened, called“nigger”**
Burge* Wagner*Corless, Basile* Gallagher
3/10/80 Testimony,People v. James and Lewis; 4/19/04 Court Reported statement of Edward James
9/20-22/79
George Powell
repeatedly electric-shocked on chest, groin, bagged, beaten**
Burge* CorlessBasile* Hoke*
6/14/04 Court Reported Statement of George Powell; 1/22/92 Judicial Admissions by City
9/20-22/79
Ollie Hammonds
repeatedly beaten, threatened with electric shock on penis, held incommunicado without food or bathroom for several days**
Burge* Basile*
8/25/04 Court Reported Statement of Ollie Hammonds
9/28/-29/79
Tony Thompson
beaten with gun and fists until face totally swollen, 8-10 stitches, repeatedly electric shocked with dark box referred to as “nigger box” on genitals and chest, repeated racial epithets, Hampton murder referenced
Burge*
Gorman
Unidentifieddectective
3/5/05 SwornStatement Court Reported Statement of Tony Thompson;5/22/81 Testimony in People v. Porch, Thompson, and Golden
9/28-29/79
Willie Porch
beaten, threatened with a gun (Russian Roulette), pistol whipped, hung by handcuffs, threatened with Fred Hampton murderer, stepped on groin**
Burge*
Gorman
5/22/81 Testimony in People v. Porch, Thompson, 6/27/89 Testimony in Wilsonv. City of Chicago
9/28-9/79
Raymond Golden
threatened with gun (Russian roulette); smashed in the head with shotgun butt**
Burge*
Gorman
5/22/81 Testimony in People v. Porch, Thompson, and Golden; 6/27/89 Testimony in Wilsonv. Chicago
9/29/79
Timothy Thompson
threatened to look like “Tony Puff face”, beaten**
Burge*
Gorman
5/22/81 Testimony in People v. Porch et. al
2/23/80
Michael Coleman
Derrick King
beaten to the body, kicked in groin, stitches pulled out with tweezers**
beaten with a baseball bat to the body and with a phonebook**
Burge* Pienta* Dwyer* Basile*Corless
11/20/80 Testimony in People v. Coleman and King
2/20/81
William Bracey
beaten, stomped on hand-cuffs, kicked on groin**
Hoke*
O’Callahan
Post trial filings,People v. Bracey
11/13/81
Sylvester Green
bagged, beaten to body and head, repeatedly threatened and called “nigger,” threatened his “balls”**
Burge*GrunhardMcCabe McNally*
3/4/83 Testimony inPeople v. Green
2/5-6/82
Melvin Jones
electric shocked on penis, thigh, foot, threatened to blow “black brains out” with gun to head, beaten**
Burge* Flood* McGuire*McWeeny*
8/5/82 Testimony inPeople v. Jones and 2/92
at Police Board;1/22/92 & 7/95 City judicial admissions
2/9-2/12/82
Larry Milan
Paul Mike
Walter Johnson
Roy Brown
Alphonso Pinex
bagged and beaten**
beaten on bottoms of feet and testicles**
bagged, beaten**
bagged, beaten**
beaten, threatened**
Unidentified officers under Burge’s direct command during manhunt for Andrew Wilson
1989 Testimony of Julia Davis, Mike, Johnson. Brown andPinexes in Wilsonv. Chicago
2/12/82
Donald White
Dwight Anthony
beaten to the body and head while bagged, threatened with a gun**
beaten**
Burge* YucaitisO’Hara Hill* McKenna*
7/14/89 White Deposition in
Wilson v. Chicago
2/13/82
Donnell Traylor
bagged, threats, beaten**
Burge*
1989 Attorney Interview
2/14/82
Andrew Wilson
bagged, threatened with a gun, beaten to body and head, electric shock to ears, genitals, burned on radiator, racial epithets**
Burge* YucaitisPienta* McKenna* Hill*
O’Hara
Testimony of Andrew Wilson:People. v. Wilson,11/12/82, 1989Wilson I and IItrials, and 2/92 Police Board;2/11/93 Police Board Findings.
2/14/82
Jackie Wilson
threatened with electric shock and a gun**
O’Hara McKenna*
11/8/82 Testimony of Jackie Wilson,People v. Wilson
2/14/82
Doris Miller
Held incommunicado for 20 hours, threatened, verbally abused, over heard screaming and torture of Andrew Wilson, forced to urinate in ashtray**
Burge* and company
11/12/82 Testimony of D. Miller inPeople v. Wilson ; deposition in Wilson v. Chicago.
6/9/82
Michael Johnson
beaten, electric shocked, threatened with a gun, called lawyer “nigger bitch” **
Burge*
6/9/82 OPS Statement, 7/6/82 FBI Statement,6/14/89 Deposition in Wilson v. Chicago
9/10/82
Lee Holmes
bagged, beaten to the body, beaten with a flashlight and rubber hose on penis**
Byrne* Dignan*Dioguardi*
6/24/93 Holmes OPS Statement
9/10/82
Stanley Wrice
beaten to body, repeatedly hit with flashlight and black jack including on groin**
Byrne* Dignan*Dioguardi*
1983 Testimony inPeople v. Wrice, Benson; 9/23/83Wrice OPS Statement
9/10/82
Rodney Benson
beaten with piece of rubber with tape on both ends and with flashlight on groin, back, knee, chest and stomach, threatened with hanging, like they had other “niggers”**
Byrne* Dignan*Dioguardi*
12/23/82 Benson verified motion to suppress in People v. Benson, Wrice
9/10/82
Bobby Williams
beaten on thighs and groin with long black flex object with ball on end**
Byrne* Dignan*Dioguardi*
1983 Williams Testimony in People v. Wrice, Benson et. al.; 1/29/94 Williams OPS Statement
1/1-1/2/83
Eric Smith
repeatedly beaten on side, back and groin with lead pipe encased in rubber hose, repeatedly electric shocked on side and groin, while naked and handcuffed, gave false confession*
Dignan* Kushner
Binkowski
8/87 Testimony and Exhibits in People v. Smith; 1/2/84 OPS statement;
3/21/05 sworn court reported statement
1/21/83
Alonzo Smith
beaten to the body with stick, blackjack, kicked in groin, while bagged**
Byrne*
Dignan*
8/3/83 testimony inPeople v. Smith;
4/00 testimony inPeople v. Cannon
4/26-8/83
James Andrews
David Faultneroy
beaten with fists and flashlight**
beaten on head, back, ribs**
McWeeny* Madigan*
10/1/84 testimony in People v. Anderson
9/2/83
Jerry Mahaffey
beaten to the body while bagged, threatened with a gun, kicked in the groin**
Byrne* JamesLotito*Grunhard BoffoLeracz*
2/9/84, 2/16/84 Testimony in People v. Mahaffey
9/2/83
Reginald Mahaffey
Kicked in head, ribs, hit with flashlight, kicked in groin, beaten, bagged**
Byrne* JamesLotito*Grunhard Boffo
2/10/,84, 2/13/84 Testimony in People v. Mahaffey
10/28-29/83
Gregory Banks
beaten to the body while bagged, threatened with a gun in mouth, beaten with a flashlight, said “we have something for niggers” while bagging him*
Byrne* Dignan*GrunhardDwyer*
5/17/85 testimony in People v. Banks; 1993 OPS sustained findings; 4/00 testimony in People v. Cannon
10/28-29/83
David Bates
beaten to the body while bagged, kicked in the groin, threatened**
Byrne*GrunhardDwyer*
5/17/85 testimony in People v. Banks; 4/00 testimony inPeople v. Cannon
11/2/83
Darrell Cannon
threatened with a gun, Russian roulette, mock execution, repeatedly electric shocked on testicles and penis, hung by his cuffs, repeatedly called “nigger”**
Byrne*
Dignan*McWeeny*Grunhard
3/27/84 Testimony in People v. Cannon; 1993 OPS Sustained findings; 8/27/04 Parole Board testimony
11/18/83
James Cody
beaten to the body with a flashlight, electric shocked on buttocks and testicles, threatened with castration, beating**
Paladino*Basile* McNally*
4/23/84 Testimony in People v. Cody
11/25/83
Leonard Hinton
beaten to the body while bagged, hit with gun, repeatedly beaten, kicked in groin, repeatedly electric shocked on genitals and in rectum**
Burge* KrippelBajenski* Mokry
7/1/85 testimony inPeople v. Hinton.
1/12- 13/84
Leroy Orange
beaten to the body while bagged, electric shocked on arm and buttocks and in rectum, testicles squeezed**
Burge* Flood*Bajenski* McGuire* McWeeny*
5/22/81 Testimony,People v. Orange; Orange Affidavit; 1/84 Sun TimesArticle; City Judicial Admissions of ½2/92; 1/03 innocence pardon
1/12-13/84
Leonard Kidd
bagged, beaten on head with phone book and stick, electric shocked on buttocks and genitals, and in rectum**
Madigan* McCabe McNally*
2/14/00 Kidd Affidavit; 1/84 Sun Times Article.
1/28/84
Lavert Jones
repeatedly beaten to body and head; beaten with a telephone book, club; kicked in genitals, called “nigger”**
Byrne* Dignan*Yucaitis
3/5/87 Testimony,People v. Jones
1/28/84
Thomas Craft
beaten with a flashlight, choked, foot crushed, threatened with weapon to face and nose, strapped naked to cell bunk**
Dignan* Yucaitis
Ryan
8/20/ and 9/23/93 OPS statements; OPS sustained findings
4/84
StephenCavanero
phone book placed on head, hit on phone book with magflashlight**
Burge* Dwyer*
Maslanka*
Phone Interview
5/24/84
FranklinBurchette
threatened with electric shock on testicles, sleep deprivation**
Burge* McDermott*
DiGiacomo*Solecki
10/21/85 Affidavit and Testimony in People v. Burchette.
6/7/84
Phillip Adkins
beaten to the body, beaten with a flashlight on body and groin, repeatedly called “nigger”**
Byrne* YucaitisBoffo Dignan* James Lotito*
Testimony in People v. Cannon; 1993 OPS sustained findings
6/24-25/84
Robert Billingsley
repeatedly beaten, kicked, gagged with paper in throat, whipped with phone books, bribed to drop OPS complaint**
Dwyer* Dignan* James Lotito*Yucaitis
4/2/04 Affidavit;
3/28/05 Court Reported Statement; OPS complaint
10/28-29/84
Terry Harris
choked, arm twisted, held in underwear overnight, repeatedly threatened, sexually derogatory comments**
Burge*
Sgt. Wilson Marley*Maslanka* McGuire* Mokry
5/29/86 OPS Statement
11/2-4/84
Stanley Howard
beaten to the body while bagged, slapped and kicked until unconscious **
Byrne*McWeeny* BoffoLotito*Paladino* Glynn
1/28/87 Testimony,People v. Howard; 1993 OPS sustained findings; 3/30/93 Affidavit; 1/03 innocence pardon
3/21/85
Jesse Winston
hanging after interrogation
Byrne* Dwyer*YucaitisGrunhard
1986, 1990 Winston OPS files
5/31/85
Lonza Holmes
beaten and kicked to the body, repeatedly hit on the head with a phone book, judo chops under neck**
Burge* Madigan*Dignan*
12/12/86 Testimony,People v. Holmes
8/28/85
LC Riley
repeatedly punched, slapped, kicked in ribs, stomach, face, hit in the groin with a rolled up newspaper**
Madigan*
Dwyer*
3/13/87 Testimony,People v. Riley
10/9-11/85
Mearon Diggins
repeatedly beaten on back and legs with flashlight during 2 ½ days of questioning, no food, water, or bathroom**
Paladino*
Pienta* Burge*
OPS statement and pictures (destroyed); 7/5/04Diggins Court Reported Statement
10/10/85
Terry Williams
beaten, screaming**
unidentified Area 2 detectives.
7/5/04 Diggins Court Reported Statement
10/30/85
Shaded Mumin
pushed into wall, threatened with .44 magnum silver revolver to head, Russian Roulette, suffocated with typewriter cover until unconscious, threatened with worse treatment, repeatedly called “nigger” **
Burge*Paladino* McDermott
5/13/87 Testimony,People v. Mumin;
2/92 Police Board Testimony on behalf of City; 1993 OPS file
4/22-23/86
Michael Arbuckle
threatened with electrocution, death, assaulted, threatened with beating, framing, told they wanted to get Aaron Patterson **
Burge*
Kolowitz
6/4/86 Motion to Suppress in People v. Arbuckle, Arbuckle 2/8/95 Affidavit and 11/19/04 Deposition
4/29-30/86
Aaron Patterson
beaten to the chest and upper body while repeatedly bagged with typewriter cover nose held while bagged, threatened with a gun and with worse treatment, kicked, choked**
Burge* Byrne*Pienta*McWeeny*
Marley* Madigan* Pederson*
ASA Troy
other unidentified Area 2 Detectives.
3/30/88 Testimony in People v. Patterson; Patterson Affidavit; etchings in bench; 8/11/00 decision in People v. Patterson; 1994 Affidavit of Dr. Martinez; 1/03 innocence pardon
4/29-30/86
Eric Caine
ear cupping, beating in chest, threats, sleep deprivation**
Pienta*
Marley* Madigan* Brownfield*
8/88 Motion to Suppress and 9/25/89 trial testimony, People v.Caine
7/21-22/86
Stephen Bell
repeatedly beaten to the head and body, head smashed into wall, kicked in groin, head and ribs, beaten with a phone book**
Byrne*
Dignan* Boffo Yucaitis
11/20/86 Testimony in People v. Tillman and Bell
7/21-23/86
Michael Tillman
repeatedly bagged, beaten to body and head, threatened with a gun to head, thumb pressure to ears, beaten with flashlight and phone book**
Byrne*
Dignan* Boffo Yucaitis
Hines
11/21/86 Testimony in People v. Tillman and Bell
8/10/-12/86
Clarence Trotter
slammed against the wall, physical and mental brutality and held incommunicado for 36 hours
Madigan* Brownfield*Nitsche
post conviction Petition and testimony in People v. Trotter
10/13/86
Terrence Houston
Darrell Cleveland
beaten to the body,** electric shock, beaten with a flashlight
head slammed on table**
Pienta,Marblocki, Hayes, JohnLotito
10/4/88 Terrence Houston Deposition in Houston v.Marblocki; Houston and Cleveland 1986 OPS Statements
11/12/86
Andrew Maxwell
Jerry Thompson
Jeffrey Howard
beaten to the body and face, kicked during interrogation
kicked, beaten with flashlight to body, slapped in face during interrogation
kicked, slapped during interrogation
Paladino* Glynn,Basile* McDermott*
7/23/87 Testimony in People v. Maxwell, Thompson, and Howard
1/6/87
Madison Hobley
hit in chest, thumbs to neck, racial epithets, including “nigger,” kicked in groin, beaten to the body while bagged, held nose while bagged, passed out, threatened to kill him during interrogation
James Lotito* Dwyer* Burge*McWeeny*Paladino*
Garrity*
Cline
8/87 Hobley OPS Statement; 9/29/87 Testimony in People v. Hobley; HobleyDeposition; 1/03 innocence pardon
11/6/87
Robert Smith
beaten during questioning
Dwyer*
People v. Smithdecision
12/87-1/88
Philip Walker
Johnny Walker
Andre Wilk
kicked, beaten, cuffed to steaming radiator, called “nigger;” **
beaten, kicked in groin, screaming;**
13 year old, beaten with flashlight, slapped into falsely naming Walker. **
Kill (Area 3)
Garrity* (Polygraph)
Kill (Area 3)
Kill
(Area 3)
10/5/04 Sworn Philip Walker Statement
Philip Walker statement
4/3/89 Testimony inPeople v. Walker
4/17/88
Grayland Johnson
beaten with flashlight, phone book, hung out window, head pushed into toilet, bagged **
Eldridge
Byrne*
(Area 3)
Testimony in People v Johnson, OPS file, civil complaint in Johnson
6/24/88
Donald Torrence
beaten
Paladino*Maslanka*
(Area 3)
Torrence Civil complaint
8/25-26/88
Ronald Kitchen
beaten to the groin and body, beaten with a phonebook, with a black jack to groin, and with phone receiver during interrogation
Burge*
Kill
Smith
Byron (Area 3)
2/2/90, 9/17/90 Testimony, People v. Kitchen; 12/12/96 Kitchen Affidavit;12/18/96 Journey Affidavit
4/19-20/90
Tony Anderson
beaten on ribs, thighs with nightstick, gun to head, threatened to “blow brains out,” no food, water, or washroom during 2 day interrogation
at Area 2 byPaladino*Maslanka* (from Area 3), and McDermott* Gallagher (from Area 2)
5/1/91 Testimony inPeople v. Anderson
9/21/90
Cortez Brown
beaten on chest and arms, and beaten on hands and legs with steel flashlight**
Paladino*
Maslanka*
(Area 3)
11/8/91 Testimony in People v. Brown
4/91
Unknown 14 year old
electric shocked
unknown Area 3 detectives
Chicago Sun Timesarticle by Deborah Nelson
6/5/91
TyShaun Ross
beaten with nightstick on side, kicked on foot, pulled down pants, repeatedly electric shocked on groin and upper thighs, repeatedly called “nigger” during interrogation
McCann, CaesarMcWeeny* (Area 3)
Ross OPS Statement of 7/16/91; 8/5/91 OPS Interview with Ross’ Grandmother; Dr. Raba Letter
8/8/91
Jevon Delony
Maurice Delony
repeatedly punched in chest, slapped in face, back of head, threatened during interrogation
Punched to the floor
Area 3 Detectives
Testimony in People v. Brooks andDelony, JevonDelony Affidavit of10/2/97
9/25-26/91
Marcus Wiggins
13 year old, hit on head with flashlight; repeatedly hit in chest; electric shocked on hands with box like device, screamed, passed out **
Paladino*Maslanka,* Kill O’Brien
Boudreau
(Area 3)
6/4/96 Wiggins Deposition; OPS file; Testimony of Myron James inPeople v. Clemon; Dr. Martinez report
9/25-26/91
Jesse Clemon
Imari Clemon
DamoniClemon
Clinton Welton
Diyez Owen
beaten on hand, face, and stomach**
16 year old, beaten **
electric shocked **
16 year old, beaten with flashlight and fists **
16 year old, beaten to chest and stomach **
Paladino*Maslanka,* Kill O’Brien
Boudreau
(Area 3)
Testimony of Myron James, DamoniClemon, ClintonWelton, and DyezOwen in People v.Clemon; decisions inPeople v. Clemons,259 Ill App. 3d 5 (1994)
9/28/91
Michael Peterson
Travis Richardson
choked, beaten, kicked, attempted burning with cigarette **
head slammed on table**
Paladino*
Maslanka* O’Brien
(Area 3)
8/11/04 RichardsonAffidavit; OPS Statements
11/22/91
Ivan Smith
slapped in face, back of head, punched in chest, thrown to floor, open phone book placed on chest, repeatedly hit with stick on phone book, taking away breath at Tennessee jail**
O’Brien
Stehlik
(Area 3)
4/15/94 Testimony in People v. Brooks
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